Figure of "The Answer" Based on ‘Stylized Realism’ Found in Comic-Book Art

Carlsbad, Calif. (August 13, 2007) - For more than a year now, Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) has been revolutionizing the sports action figure scene with their All-Star Vinyl figures. The collectibles that portray popular sports heroes from across the board, are designed in an slick urban style, a trend that will be perpetuated with the upcoming release depicting the infamous Allen Iverson. Iverson will have three distinct action figures.

Iverson’s dynamic figures stays true to the prolific player’s unique style and personality complete with cornrows, sweatband, and the A.I.’s unique ink emblazoned on his neck and arms, collectors will be able to score the exclusive figures when they drop, Tuesday, August 14th at 9:03am PT at http://www.allstarvinyl.com.

The Answer’s line of All-Star Vinyl will feature three unique versions of the Nugget’s resident leading scorer-a white home edition limited to 1,500, a blue road edition limited to 500, and a coveted black edition in the Nugget’s alternate uniform limited to 250. The black edition variants within All-Star Vinyl have become the most sought after sub-series of release. Upper Deck will offer Iverson’s collectibles in three packages to suit a range of collectors: the White Version $49.99, the Blue and White Version 2-pack for $99.99 and for the ultimate collector, a 3-pack for $199.99, which includes each figure in the series (the white, blue, and black edition). The quantities of each unique version are limited to increase long-term collectibility of the figures. Allen Iverson has been rocking the NBA for the past 11 years with the leagues 3rd highest scoring average, with the former-76er falling in place only behind greats Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. The 2001 All Star MVP’s unrelenting skills and trademark crossover dribble on the court have garnered the superstar the position of the starting point guard for the NBA All Star Game for the past 7 consecutive seasons, a place on team USA and a bronze medal from the 2004 Olympics. Allen Iverson is the ideal character to be represented in the All-Star Vinyl line" said Upper Deck sports figure product manager Dave Sanders. "Allen’s larger than life personality and charisma, on and off the court, is reflected in the exaggerated features and underground, comic-book inspired styling of the action figures, which makes this line a particularly desirable addition to the All-Star Vinyl portfolio."

More on Upper Deck’s All-Star Vinyl Action Figurines

At 11 inches and produced in the underground style of urban vinyl, Upper Deck’s All-Star Vinyl action figures are a combination of art and realism not typically found in sports licensed products. Adds Sanders, "in this medium, our designers are able to have fun by adding or playing up on player attributes and subtleties that give life to these athletes, highlight their distinct features, playing style – design characteristics that make them highly unique in comparison to more traditional based sports figures. Keeping with the comic book theme, the high end packaging and artwork was created by well-known comic artist Chris Brunner." To offer more details on the All-Star Vinyls, Upper Deck has set up dedicated web site with a blog written by Sanders – allstarvinyl.com. It will also give consumers a first look at upcoming sports action figure launches throughout the year, giving insight into the athletes to be featured, as well as the artist and sculptor behind the piece.

History of Urban Vinyl Collectibles

The trend of urban vinyl collectibles originated in Hong Kong and Japan, recently becoming popular in the United States. A sign of its popularity: at the annual Toy Fair, in 2006 the industry officially recognized this trend with its own exhibit hall titled "Urban Bazaar: Indie Art Toys." Upper Deck is the first and only company to recognize the possibility of combining urban stylized figures with licensed sports leagues to create a heroic depiction of sports stars. Upper Deck has released figures of NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB players. Urban vinyl figures, or designer toys, are thought of as not just toys, but as pieces of art. Usually made of soft roto-cast PVC, referred to by collectors as "vinyl," many of the industry’s product launches are held at gallery openings or release parties where the toys are displayed side-by-side with paintings and other types of art.

About the Upper Deck Company

Founded in 1988, The Upper Deck Co. is a premier global sports and entertainment-publishing company that delivers a portfolio of relevant, innovative and multi-dimensional product experiences to collectors, sports and entertainment enthusiasts. For more information on Upper Deck and its products, please visit www.upperdeck.com or www.upperdeckstore.com.

Daniel “Julius Marx” Pickett has been around toys his whole life. The first line he ever collected was Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes line back in the 70s. He has been surrounded by collectables ever since.
In 1999 he was confounded by a lack of information and news about some of his favorite toy lines he was collecting. Since he couldn’t find the information he decided to pursue it himself thinking other people might also be interested in the same news. He started writing a weekly column on the toy industry and action figure for a toy news site and in a years time he tripled the sites daily traffic with his updates, reviews and product features.
He built relationships with every major toy manufacturer and many sculptors, painters and mold makers. He grew his hobby into a world wide expertise that the industry has embraced.
In 2004 he teamed up with his toy buddy Jason “ToyOtter” Geyer and they created their own website www.ActionFigureInsider.com.
Daniel has been quoted in both industry and mass media press outlets. Over the years Daniel and AFi have been sought out as experts in the field. Daniel was regularly featured on “Attack of the Show” on the G4 network as the primary contributor to their “Mint On Card” segment, and our front page has been linked to from USA Today’s
“Pop Candy” Blog twice. Daniel’s content has also been featured on MSNBC.com,
Wired.com, Fark.com, Boing-Boing, Gizmodo.com, Ain’t It Cool News, the Official
Star Wars blog, Geekologie, G4, CNet and Toy Fare magazine, among many
others. He has consulted on toy lines, books, documentaries and TV shows.
But all of that really just sounds snooty and “tootin’ his own horn” – the long and short of it is that Daniel loves toys and he LOVES talking about them.